Deductive Instincts
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Alternate Universe - Annie Walker, homicide detective, comes across a young girl who intrigues her to the point of distraction. Will a blind ex-cop named Auggie help her out? Adventure/Drama/Romance
1. Chapter 1

Annie Walker walked with trudging steps through the doors of the city police bureau. It was morning and the beginning of her shift, but as what normally happens, detectives rarely worked regular shifts. The bad men and women of the world never adhered to an 8-hour day, which meant she didn't, either.

Last night's scene had her out until 2am, and she just managed to grab a few hours of sleep before dragging herself back into the office. She dumped her bag and coat on her chair and headed directly for the break room. Copious amounts of coffee would be the only thing that would get her mind back in the game.

The break room stood in the middle of the large building, utilitarian in its governmental design and filled with the necessities of life to keep overworked crime fighters alert and well-fed. The only thing that Annie was interested in right now was coffee.

The daytime police shift had clocked in an hour ago, so she had wait for a new pot to brew. She turned and leaned against the counter as the dark liquid dripped into the pot, and that's when she noticed she wasn't alone. At first, she berated herself for being so unnoticing of her environment, but then curiosity won over.

What was a young girl doing sitting by herself in the police bureau's break room? Annie instinctively took note of the girl's long, wavy brown hair held back by a simple headband, pretty face, simple clothing, and bright pink backpack sitting beside her on the table. She was busy writing in a spiral-bound notebook with a pencil and didn't seem to notice Annie's scrutiny.

Annie looked around and wondered why the girl was here and whose daughter she was. Having no children herself, she wasn't sure of the local school's vacation schedule, and though the bureau employed close to 100 people from the receptionist to the chief, she was sure none of them had a pre-teen daughter of that coloring.

The spurting of the coffee pot announced the end of the brewing cycle, so Annie grabbed down one of the mugs and made herself a cup. She then walked over to the table and asked, "May I join you?"

"Huh?" The girl's head popped up, startled, her brown eyes wide.

"Can I sit here?" Annie motioned to the seat across from her.

"Yeah, sure," the girl said, returning her gaze to her notebook. It was filled with writing, Annie noticed.

"I'm Annie, by the way," she said, taking a cautious sip of the hot liquid. "What's your name?"

"Emily."

Well, Annie thought, we're making progress. "What are you writing?"

"Are you a police officer?" Emily asked, her eyes perusing Annie's face, blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail, white button-up blouse and knee-length skirt. "No, I guess you wouldn't be. You don't wear a uniform."

"That's right. I'm a detective here. You're very observant."

Emily shrugged, then went back to perusing her notebook.

Annie waited for a minute, then repeated, "What are you writing?"

"A report. The man who brought me here, Sergeant Carter, I think his name was, said he had a meeting to attend, but I should write down all the details for the case, and wait for him to come back."

Annie took a drink of her coffee and thought for a minute. Carter, as she remembered, was on main desk duty at the time. She had no idea what type of meeting would be going on at the time, but decided to keep Emily company until his return.

"Are you here by yourself?"

Emily nodded. "It's an in-service day at school. All the kids get the day off, but the teachers have to go in," she said with a small smile.

"Too bad for them," Annie said, returning her smile. "Are your parents here, or –"

"No, they – I - don't have regular parents. But my foster mom said I could come down and do this today while she was at work if I went home straight after and called her when I got there."

In that entire, hastily said, stuttering explanation, Annie knew more about Emily than the girl probably thought she'd given away. And it was a good thing that Emily kept her gaze on her notebook while she added more details. The shock and compassion that passed over Annie's face would've probably made Emily uncomfortable.

This pretty, intelligent girl sitting in front of her was an orphan, in the state system, and often left on her own by her foster family. Initially, and in any other circumstance, Annie would've silently protested against Emily's apparent abandonment, but the girl looked none the worse for wear.

"So, this report you're writing?"

"Yeah. Sergeant Carter said it didn't sound like anything out of the ordinary, but I can't help but think something's weird about it. So, I talked him into making an official report."

Annie smiled and tried to hold back her laughter. From reputation, Sergeant Carter wasn't one to be "talked" into anything. He was a fair and stern officer of the law, one of their best.

"Want to talk to me about it? I've filled out more reports than I care to remember."

"Sure," Emily said, pushing the notebook over to her. "May I have something to drink?"

Annie pointed over to the refrigerators next to the cabinets. "There should be a soda or juice in there. We keep it stocked for the staff."

Emily retrieved an apple juice and sat back down while Annie read what she'd written. Her analytical skills took in the neat print and above-average writing while she read. Apparently, two days ago, Emily was exploring the school grounds while on recess with a friend of hers, and they'd come across a large purse beneath a bush. Its contents were strewn about, but no other evidence was found in the vicinity.

Annie's eyebrows rose at Emily's technical terminology, but she filed that piece of information away and instead decided to ascertain some more information. She handed her back the notebook and said, "Sounds intriguing. So, you're in the sixth grade?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"You mentioned your school's name, and by your appearance, I took an educated guess."

"Wow, that's so cool. You can tell people's ages just by looking at them?"

Annie smiled, "Pretty much. Most of the time, people I meet on the job can no longer speak for themselves, so I have to use deduction to figure out who they are, what they do for a living, what happened to them."

"So, you're a – a – a homicide detective?" Emily asked, after searching a couple of seconds for the right word.

Once again, Annie mentally berated herself for her slip-up. "Yes, that's right."

"And you catch the people who killed them?"

Feeling more and more uncomfortable talking about death to a grade schooler, Annie said, "Most of the time."

At that moment, footsteps clacked onto the kitchen's tiled floor. "Emily? Are you ready?"

Both Annie and Emily's heads swung around to see Sergeant George Carter standing by the counter.

"Yes, sir. I've got it all written down," Emily said, gathering up her notebook and apple juice and stuffing them back into her backpack.

"Morning, Walker," the sergeant nodded towards Annie.

"Good morning."

Then, she said, "Emily? Here." She pulled out one of her business cards and handed it to her.

The girl took it with a big smile and reached inside her bookbag. She took out her notebook and pencil and wrote on a clean sheet before tearing it out. "That's my name and phone number."

Annie returned her smile and slid the piece of paper into her shirt pocket. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Emily."

"You, too. Thanks for the juice!"

"You're welcome." Then, as Sergeant Carter escorted out, Annie sat down to finish off her coffee.

* * *

"You're dropping your left again."

Annie sighed, then went through the punching sequence again. She tried to concentrate on her personal trainer's instructions, but the day had been long, and her level of energy wasn't quite on par, not to mention her concentration.

"Again."

"Come on, Auggie. This is just supposed to be exercise. I'm not in training for a boxing match against Laila Ali."

He frowned, but dropped his pad-covered gloves she'd been punching sequences into. "No, you're not. But I've never known you to do anything halfway. What's wrong?"

Annie sighed, then began undoing her gloves. Auggie knew her better than anyone, save her own family, and she knew by the look in his unseeing eyes that he wouldn't let her get away with saying it was nothing.

"You got some time?" she asked.

"For you, always," he said with a smirk. "But I'm yours, officially, until 7pm, which gives us another 20 minutes."

They both de-gloved, then grabbed their water bottles and towels and sat down next to a stack of mats. After a month of attending Anderson Gym, Annie met the owner, Auggie Anderson, and a month after that, gave up wondering how he got around so well despite his blindness. A few inquiries gave her all the background she'd need to know about the former cop, and after a few years, they were closer than anyone she'd anyone she'd ever met in her life.

"So, talk. Then after, I can close up, and we'll continue this conversation at Allen's Tavern."

"Talk, yes. Allen's, no. I'm in the middle of a case."

"Too bad. So, it's the case that's on your mind?"

Annie shrugged, "Partly. Still haven't made much headway, but what I've been thinking about is a girl I met this morning."

"She's not a witness or family member, is she?" Auggie asked quietly.

"No, no. Not part of the case at all. I met her at the station."

When Annie didn't expound, Auggie took a long drink of his water, then said, "Okay. So, you come across this girl – not a woman, I suspect – and she's intrigued you."

"Yeah, she's a girl. Around 11 or 12, I suspect. Sixth grade. She was there by herself."

"She's not a victim, is she?"

"No, no, nothing of the sort," Annie said with a shake of her head. "She just found a purse at her grade school and wanted to report it. Said she thought it was weird and had a feeling that something was wrong."

"So, a 12-year-old girl came down to the police station on her own to report a found purse?"

Annie looked over at her best friend. A day's worth of work and working out had his normally messily coiffed hair curling around his ears and neck, and he was looking her way with a mix of confusion and concern.

"Yeah, that's about it."

"Not understanding here, Annie."

Annie sighed and leaned her head back against the mats. "She's smart, Auggie. Probably smarter than a normal 12-year-old should be, and she's an orphan, living with a foster family."

"Ahh," Auggie said. "She's tugged at your normally taut heartstrings, has she?"

"That's one way to put it."

"So, what are you gonna do about it?"

Annie laughed softly. "That's just it, Auggie. What can I do about it? I mean, I gave her my card in case she wants to talk or needs a friend, but –" Her voice trailed off, and she raised her hands in frustration.

One of her hands was caught by Auggie's who grabbed it and weaved his fingers through hers. The contact and look on his face pulled Annie in, and she unconsciously leaned against his side.

"You've got a heart big enough for the world to lean on, Annie Walker. But you can't save everyone. You know that."

Annie sighed, reveling in his closeness. "I know. So, I'll forget about Emily Barnes and keep my mind on the case."

"I didn't say forget about her. Just, keep your mind in the game and stop playing Wonder Woman."

"Whatever you say, Superman," Annie teased.

"Har har. Now, by my clock, you've got ten minutes left to go in this session. You ready?"

"For anything you have to offer," Annie replied, grasping his offered hand as he pulled her to her feet.

* * *

**A/N Well, here it is, the new story I've been thinking about/working on for a while. Subsequent chapters will explain more details of my Alternate Universe world, but I hope I've included enough in this first chapter to whet everyone's appetites.**

**If you're wondering about how I came up with this, it's a melding of two stories, one of which is a few decades old. I wanted to write a cop story and thought about just doing some fiction, but decided to just try it out as a fanfic first. Then I remembered a story I'd been thinking about since I was a kid. If you can believe it, what happened to Emily here actually happened to me, in a way. When I was in grade school, a friend and I found a purse on school grounds. I wondered then how it came to be there and who it belonged to, and even now, 3 decades later, I still wonder about it. I'd wanted to make a story out of it, but never started. And then, writing epiphany. Why not meld the two story ideas together? And voila, Deductive Instincts is born.**

**It's AU, obviously, and a tribute to every true crime TV show I've ever watched. (which is a lot) Annie's a detective, and to bring a canon, blind Auggie into the mix, I made him a friend, ex-cop hurt on duty, who owns the gym she works out at.**

**Hope you all liked the 1st chapter. **

**Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Annie settled herself at her desk with a coffee and doughnut. The pastry was one of two left over on the break room table. Not much of a breakfast, but she had a feeling she'd be stuck at her desk poring over the case file and autopsy report of her homicide.

She'd attended the autopsy yesterday, but it didn't give her much more information than what was gathered at the scene. An unknown male, age between 20 and 25, was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in an alley. Given the strewn trash and general uncleanliness of the area, securing any relevant evidence was a near impossibility.

The crime scene technicians did their best, but Annie couldn't help but think that any prints or evidence they'd picked up weren't going to be of much help. But the one thing Annie couldn't resist was a challenge, and once she'd wiped the doughnut remnants off of her fingers and mouth, she delved into the file.

Two hours later, she'd made some headway. The victim's name was Joseph Packett, garnered from AFIS, but other than an arrest for DUI five years ago, nothing else relevant applied. The address he listed then he no longer lived at, and the phone number was disconnected.

She leaned back in her chair and contemplated her next move. Maybe a canvass of the area with the victim's picture and name would produce more results. But, she thought, there was no way she'd go to that neighborhood by herself. Even with her badge and impressive sidearm attached onto her belt, she didn't feel safe in that area of the city.

She was about to shout across the office to Conrad Sheehan with the intent to ask the imposing fellow detective to accompany her when the office door opened.

"Good morning, detectives. Did everyone get one of the doughnuts I bought this morning?"

Annie inwardly cringed at the tone from the uniformed officer who'd walked in. Sergeant Jai Wilcox, handsome, even more so in uniform, stood there smiling at the handful of detectives. When she'd first met the man, she'd been a newly promoted and transferred detective from a neighboring city, and yes, at first, she was impressed and flattered by the officer's attentions and help. But with time and information from Auggie regarding the good-looking policeman, Annie's view on him dimmed.

It didn't stop him, though, from stopping by her desk and occasionally asking her out. Which she really hoped he wasn't going to do now, as he proceeded to walk through the room, headed directly toward her.

"Good morning, Annie."

She returned his smile, "Morning. What can I do for you, Jai?"

He leaned against her desk, which she immediately rose an eyebrow at until he straightened back up. "Got some information on the guy who got shot in the alley. Chief said you were the one who caught it?"

"Yeah, what do you got?" Annie asked, her dislike turning into actual interest at this point.

"A guy we picked up last night for DUI and drug possession says he has some information on him and wants to cut a deal."

"Huh," Annie said. "Is he credible?"

Jai shrugged. "Figured you'd want to have a talk with him before we transport him."

Annie nodded. "Okay. Conrad, you got time to sit in on a conversation?"

The blonde-haired detective had been watching them both closely and immediately stood up at Annie's question. "Absolutely."

"But –"

It was all Jai could stutter out as Annie grabbed her case file and walked around him. She knew he'd want to "accompany" her to the holding cell on the other side of the building, but she refused to feed his fascination with her by letting him dictate her every move. "I was going to go canvass the neighborhood, so if we could hit that after?" she asked Conrad.

"Sounds like a plan."

They both stood by waiting for Jai to lead them, which he did after schooling his features from disappointed to business-like. Annie hated to use Conrad as a shield like that, but it was difficult enough doing her job without having to fend off suitors left and right.

Conrad himself was one when she first started in the department, and she'd said yes to his offer of a drink at a nearby bar. But they soon found themselves just talking and laughing, and they both agreed that being friends and co-workers was better for both of them. It was Conrad, actually, who'd introduced her to Auggie when Annie asked him about a nearby gym she could join.

* * *

They wound up talking to the DUI suspect, a David Palmer, for two hours, garnering more information than Annie expected. In her experience, people facing charges who offer up information on current cases in hopes of lowering the severity of their own charges weren't very reliable.

But given the fact that the murder occurred only a couple of days ago and the information made public was minimal, Annie believed what he had to say. Joseph Packett, the victim, was an acquaintance of Palmer's, and he was able to supply an address and background information. It wasn't enough to uncuff him and send him on his way, but Annie told him she'd put in a good word with the district attorney.

If anything, Annie thought, it took them off of neighborhood canvass duty. Now they had a physical address to scope out and track down. But first, Conrad insisted on lunch. The interview with Palmer went past noon, and the doughnut Annie had for breakfast left her wanting.

They headed into a local diner close by to grab some lunch and talk over the case. They'd just cleared the doorway when Annie spotted Auggie in a booth. "Hey, let's sit over there," she told Conrad, pointing towards the corner of the place.

Conrad didn't reply, but just nodded and smirked. Annie decided to ask him about that look later, but for now, she just walked through the tables until she got to Auggie's booth.

His head raised at their approach. "Annie? Decided to take a break from saving the city from the bad guys?"

She'd long ago gotten over Auggie's innate ability to know when she was near and just took it in stride now. "Got to keep my strength up. May Conrad and I join you?"

He nodded and scooted over. Conrad already slid in across from him, and Annie had no choice but to sit next to Auggie. "Thanks. Have you already ordered?"

"Yep, but she should be back soon."

A few seconds later, the waitress appeared with a tall glass of iced tea for Auggie and a stutter in her step when she noticed Annie sitting next to him. The huge smile on her face slipped a bit, as well, as she slid the glass across the table.

"Thanks, Missy. And could you get my friends' orders and add it to my bill?"

The smoothness of his voice was one Annie had heard often, especially when he was talking to other women, and it had the usual effect, as "Missy's" smile returned. "Whatever you say, Auggie. Have your friends decided what they want to order?"

"Chef's salad with light ranch dressing on the side and iced tea," Annie said.

"I'll take a bacon cheeseburger and side of chili fries and a Coke," Conrad said.

Once Missy had left Auggie shook his head, "How you don't weigh 250 pounds with a diet like that boggles my mind, Conrad."

"Mine, too," Annie said.

"So says the woman whose breakfast consisted of a powdered doughnut," Conrad replied.

"Annie, that's hardly the diet we agreed to when I became your personal trainer," Auggie said, turning to her. "Remind me to increase your cardio tomorrow when you come in for your workout."

Annie aimed a swift kick at Conrad's shin under the table, who grunted and frowned at her.

"My diet is just fine," Annie said. "And I chase after enough bad guys to earn a doughnut now and then."

"I know you do," Auggie replied, and he reached over to give her hand a squeeze. "You're one of the best detectives I've ever met. Too bad I got knocked out of the game before you came along."

The warmth of his touch went straight through Annie, and she reveled in it for a few moments. Since she met him, Auggie's strength, honesty, and trust was like a balm to her. "We would've made an awesome team, wouldn't we?" she replied.

He nodded and smiled, squeezing her fingers once more before releasing them.

Missy chose that moment to reappear with their drinks, and Annie's attention was pulled away from her seatmate. "Your orders will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Missy," Auggie replied with a smile.

The rest of the lunch hour was spent with Annie filling Conrad in on the details of the case, with Auggie listening intently. The three agreed that, given the lack of relevant evidence and blood at the scene, the body was more than likely dumped there, and they still had a crime scene to find. The infusion of knowledge and good food had Annie's adrenaline rushing again, and after an argument about splitting the bill, allowed Auggie to treat all three of them.

He gave her a hug and elicited a promise for a drink at Allen's if she had time that night before shaking Conrad's hand. Conrad stayed quiet throughout until they'd gotten back into her car and out on the road.

"How long are you going to make that man beg?" he asked.

"What?" Annie replied.

"Auggie. Are you going to put him out of his misery soon?"

Annie shook her head. "You're seeing things, Conrad."

He scoffed. "If you're this oblivious, maybe I should talk to the chief about your detective skills."

Annie sighed. "Auggie flirts with everyone, Conrad. Or did you not notice Missy?"

"Oh, yeah, I noticed her."

"Then you saw the way he was flirting with her, also," Annie argued. "It's just the way he is."

"Have you ever considered the fact that he's friendly with people so they won't take advantage of his disability?" Conrad countered.

Annie shrugged, but didn't reply. He had a point, but she had too much on her mind right now to consider the possibility that Auggie's friendliness towards her was anything more than platonic.

Beside her, Conrad shook his head. "Okay, I'll drop it for now, but if you do go out for drinks tonight, think about it, at least, okay?"

"If I say okay, will you not mention Auggie's name for the rest of the day?"

"Deal."

* * *

**A/N Who else wishes they'd kept Conrad? We all love our Auggie, but no Conrad, and now no Jai? Got to let them live on somehow.**

**Thank you all for your love and interest in my new story. I think it's working out well. Contemplating which CA character to make police chief. So many to choose from. :)**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Have a good weekend!"

Annie nodded and waved her good-bye to Conrad as he left. The office was emptying out, and she sat down at her desk to mentally go over her day. One thing she knew was that she owed Conrad, definitely.

After lunch, they had driven to the address David Palmer gave them, and despite Annie's initial doubts, it proved to be valid. It wasn't the most affluent of neighborhoods, but the cluster of small, single-family homes were simple and decidedly lower-middle class: the kind of homes a family started out in until they made enough money to get a bigger place.

The driveway was empty, but a closed garage was visible behind the yellow, two-story house. When they'd knocked, a young, plain woman answered. She'd introduced herself as Janice Packett, and Annie and Conrad has the task of informing her that her husband, Joseph, had been killed. Her reaction was as expected and nothing Annie hadn't seen before, though it cut through her every time – astonishment, tears, sobbing, denial. At that moment, Annie had been grateful that she'd brought Conrad, as his was the hand Janice held as Annie asked questions.

Janice and Joseph Packett were married less than a year, almost newlyweds. He worked in an office, just a paper pusher for an insurance company, Janice had explained. She worked as a secretary at the local Methodist church. Annie usually tried not to pass judgment on people on first glance, but she saw nothing but light and innocence radiating from this couple. But, she knew, something sour must've infiltrated their happy little home. People don't normally get shot in the head and dumped in an alley.

Janice hadn't realized he was missing 'cause she'd been visiting her mother for the past few days and just got home that morning. She'd assumed her husband was at work, as his car was gone. She hadn't been in touch with him the past couple of days because her mother wasn't in the best of health. She hadn't quite approved of her daughter's marriage to begin with, and Janice didn't want to upset her any further.

That's as far as they'd gotten before the wife had broken down into full-on sobbing, and Annie knew she'd get no further information from her. After getting permission to search the house, they'd found nothing out of the ordinary. They'd collected what information they could, headed back to headquarters, and handed it over to the evidence technicians.

And, as of now, all Annie could do was wait. She pulled the tie that kept her hair pulled back and shook out her blonde locks with a frustrated sigh. It wasn't that she didn't have full and complete confidence in the techs, but she always preferred to be in on the action. The adrenaline rush that she rode the past couple of days was coming to an end, and she suddenly felt overly tired.

The light waning outside the blinded windows signaled the end of the day and the week, and the prospect of a drink at Allen's looked better and better. After all, it was Friday. Given how much evidence – license plate tags, cell and landline numbers, calendar entries - she'd dumped on the techs, not to mention the back log they'd reminded her they had, she probably wouldn't get much more headway on the case anytime soon.

So, it was either sit here alone in the department and dwell and stew or put it all to the back of her mind and fixate on something else. The first thing that came to mind was Auggie's invitation at lunch. It was an open-ended "let's meet up," but she deserved some "me" time. She nodded to herself and gathered up her belongings. Before she left, she sent a quick text to Auggie of her decision to go and estimated arrival time. She went home, showered, dressed, tried to tell herself that she wasn't getting gussied up for a date, and headed out.

Allen's Tavern was packed, as was normal for a Friday night, and Annie threaded her way through the crowd of middle-aged professionals looking for a distraction, young professionals looking for a hook-up, and coeds looking for a good time.

She headed straight for the bar. A longneck in hand, Annie turned and leaned against it, indulging in one of her favorite pastimes of people-watching. Her instincts, honed over a decade as a beat cop and a few years now as a detective, made her a very good observer, and she got a kick out of being able to pinpoint different personalities.

But, soon enough, she heard 'his' voice. "Sorry, no, I'm waiting for someone."

The fact that she could pinpoint Auggie's smooth baritone out of the cacophony that made up the audio track of Allen's Tavern should've startled her, but at that moment, Annie didn't care. With a smile, she weaved her way through the crowd towards him.

As she approached, a coed from the nearby university walked away from the small corner table, a look of confusion and upset across her young features. Annie shook her head as she fought a smirk. She'd seen that look often, both at the bar and at the gym.

Bottle in hand, Annie walked up to the table. "You know, I could've stayed at the bar, if you wanted to take her up on whatever she was offering."

The sparkle in his chocolate-brown eyes and smile warmed her. "Now, why would I want that? Please, sit," he said, motioning to the chair beside him. A pitcher of beer sat on the table, along with one full mug and an empty one. As she sat down, he began pouring her a drink.

She emptied the longneck she brought with her and accepted the mug as he slid it over to her.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said, taking a drink. "I wasn't sure you would."

"Mm, I wasn't sure, either. But the case decided to go cold on me."

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, turning in his chair to face her more directly.

Annie smiled at that. Auggie could never quite brush off his ex-cop persona.  
"If you don't mind, I'd really rather not. Everything's out of my hands at the moment, so…" Her voice trailed off.

"So..." he echoed.

Annie decided to change the subject before she allowed herself to get pulled into shop talk. "Anything juicy happen at the gym?"

Auggie groaned and shook his head, the effort making his brown, wavy hair fall over his forehead. "As much as you hate talking about cases is as much as I hate talking about the influx of resolutioners who promise that they'll stick to it this year."

Annie laughed aloud at that. He had the same complaint around this time very year. Though he rejoiced at the influx of business at the end of the year, most of them, over a half, canceled their membership within a month.

"They don't know what they're missing," Annie said, placing her hand on his arm.

"Thanks, Annie," he replied, his fingers sliding over to cover hers. The warmth and strength of his arm and hand sandwiching hers were soothing, and she reveled in it.

Their conversation slid towards other subjects until the pitcher between them emptied. Auggie asked if she wanted him to order a refill, but Annie declined to end the night early. "If I go home now, I'd only be thinking about the case, and then wind up heading back to the office."

"Or," Auggie added, "to the gym and work out your frustration."

"No," Annie amended, "that'd only get me more worked up. I need to relax."

He nodded in agreement. "Same here."

The waitress passed by, and Auggie hailed her for a second pitcher, which Annie insisted on paying for.

As they settled back with full mugs, Auggie said, "Not to bring up work again, but I noticed you haven't mentioned that girl you met the other day."

Annie sighed. "Emily. Nothing to mention because nothing's happened. I gave her my card, but I haven't heard anything since."

"As I remember, you were quite taken with her," Auggie said.

"Hey, she was cute and smart and sitting in the middle of a police station," Annie replied with a shrug. "Kind of hard to forget."

"Cute and smart? Sounds awfully familiar," Auggie said with a grin.

Though Annie usually sidestepped Auggie's obvious flirtatious moves, she couldn't help, with a few glasses of Allen's finest within her, to respond. "Aww, you think I'm cute?"

"Not quite. I happen to know you're beautiful."

Annie breath came in sharply at that, and she took a drink to cover her surprise. It really shouldn't have shocked her, she knew, but her own feelings towards Auggie had been teetering from just friends to something more. Now, in her half-inebriated state, Annie wondered, why couldn't she just go with it this time, see what would happen?

She leaned over and brushed her shoulder with his. "I bet you say that to all the homicide detectives you know."

He leaned his head down and whispered, "Considering you and Conrad are the only ones I know, what do you think?"

His face was so close to hers at the moment that it'd only take a small effort from either of them to touch. But he didn't move, and Annie's mind was reeling slightly with the alcohol. Though part of her yearned to close the space and indulge completely, the moment passed, and he instead raised his head and pressed a kiss against her forehead before straightening up fully.

Annie did, as well, though the tension at the table still hung heavy between them. She grabbed at the pitcher with a slightly shaky hand and refilled their mugs.

"So," Auggie said, then cleared his throat. "What do you have going on this weekend?"

"Laundry and household chores mainly," Annie said. "Unless something comes back from the evidence techs. You?"

"Work, actually."

"Your gym is closed on the weekends," Annie pointed out.

"Got some new equipment to install and test out," Auggie said. "If you're not doing anything, want to come and help out? Around 2:00?"

Well, Annie thought, it wasn't exactly a date invitation, but at this point, she felt she couldn't deny him or herself anything. "Sounds great."

* * *

**A/N You'd think it wouldn't take over a week to crank out 1,700 words, but it did. I blame the weather. Our half of the USA has gotten hammered this winter, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting cabin fever and suffering from lack of sunlight. Freezing temps and snowstorm after snowstorm.**

**Anyway, this chapter brought more of the case and some A&A goodness. Emily's making a return soon, as well.**

**Please review. Love hearing your thoughts and opinions!**

**Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

Saturday morning dawned a bit too bright for Annie's tastes, given the number of mugs of beer she'd downed last night, but even so, a slight smile came to her face. She'd be seeing Auggie this afternoon.

A glance at her bedside clock showed that it was just going on 8:30am, so she had time to get a few things done before heading off to the gym. Step one was grabbing a shower and getting dressed. There was no need to collect her car, as she'd walked to Allen's Tavern last night. Auggie had insisted on getting a taxi to get them both home, just to make sure she made it home safe, he said.

She tossed some bread in the toaster and set the coffee pot to brew before heading off to gather her laundry. Her apartment building wasn't all that luxurious or high-end, but it was well-maintained with decent washers and dryers.

After finishing off her coffee and toast, she got ready to head out. Saturday errands were normally spread out over the day or whole weekend, but she wanted to get them done that morning, just in case this date-not-date with Auggie turned out to be something other than her helping him in the gym.

A small part of her wanted to believe it was something more, but her realistic and twice-bitten side always erred on the side of caution. Despite Conrad's insistence, she needed to make sure before making a fool out of herself.

Her first stop was to the dry cleaners. After dropping off the week's outfits and picking up the ones that were done, her next step was shopping. But as soon as she parked her VW in the parking lot, her cell phone sounded.

A little thought went through her that it was Auggie canceling for today, but a look at the caller ID showed a number that seemed slightly familiar to her, but she couldn't place it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Detective Walker? It's Emily."

A smile came to Annie's face at the young girl's voice. That was where she remembered the number. "Good morning, Emily. How are you?"

"I'm good. Is it okay that I'm calling this early?"

A glance at the car's clock showed it was about 10:30am. "Not early for me, Emily. I've been up and busy for a couple of hours."

"Oh, good. Miss Marker said it might be too early."

"Not at all," Annie replied, noting mentally that Miss Marker must be her foster mother.

"Okay. I wanted to ask if you've heard anything about that purse I found."

"No, I haven't, Emily. Didn't Sergeant Carter take your statement?"

Emily huffed. "Yeah, and he said he'd give me a call if they found out anything, but he hasn't called yet or anything."

Annie smiled. "I'm sorry about that, but these things take time, Emily."

"Well, don't the police usually send someone out to the scene or whatever to collect evidence?"

"Yes, that's procedure, but why do you ask?"

"Because after school yesterday, I went back there, and the purse is just sitting there! What if it rains or something?"

"Calm down, Emily. I'm sure someone will be assigned to go collect the evidence soon. Tell you what. I'll give Sergeant Carter a call and ask him about it, okay?"

"You will? Oh, thank you, An – I mean, Detective."

The girl's happiness could be heard through the phone, and Annie chuckled. "You can call me Annie, Emily. And you're welcome."

"Okay, Annie. Oh, Miss Marker would like to talk to you."

"Detective Walker?"

"Yes, I'm Detective Annie Walker. And you are Miss Marker?"

"Roxanne Marker, yes. I'm Emily's foster mother. I hope she didn't interrupt your day, but she was quite adamant about speaking to you."

"No interruption at all. She's a very bright, industrious girl, and I'm happy to talk to her any time," Annie replied truthfully.

"Thank you, Detective. I try to give Emily as long a leash as I can, but sometimes she gets ahead of me."

"Yeah, she didn't strike me as the type of person to take no for an answer, either."

Roxanne laughed, "No, she doesn't, but it's hard to argue with her when her assumptions are usually right."

"Is that so? So, her belief that something is hinky with this purse she found could have some weight to it?"

"If it didn't, I wouldn't have allowed her to go down to the police station and fill out a report. Listen, Detective, I know I have no right asking this of you, but Emily's talked nonstop about you for the past two days. Would you be willing to serve as a mentor to her?"

Annie was taken aback by Roxanne's suggestion, but as soon as the woman began to backtrack, she immediately said, "Sure."

"Are you absolutely sure, Detective?"

"Yes, of course. I only spent a few minutes with Emily, but I have to say, she's intrigued me very much."

"She's bordering on genius levels, do you know that?"

"No, but I had an inkling."

"Yes. I've been her foster for a year now. Before me, she had two other foster families. They were all good people, good families, but none had the ability to understand her potential. She's done well on her own, but really deserves to be in a gifted program or private schools."

"I'm glad she's at least had good people such as yourself to help her grow," Annie said.

"I do the best I can. But given the limitations of the state's system, Emily's stuck in public school until she turns 18."

Annie's affinity for Emily grew double at that statement, though she partially knew it was true, anyway. Children in the foster system were, for the most part, taken care of, but Annie always thought that the focus was on problem situations while good kids like Emily were overlooked.

"That's awful."

"It's reality. Well, listen, Detective. I'm sure you're busy."

"Somewhat. But thank you for talking to me, and say good-bye to Emily for me."

"I will, Detective. Thank you, as well. Good-bye."

"Bye."

Annie sighed and clicked her phone closed. Just when she thought she'd gotten Emily off of her mind, that little girl comes sneaking back in. She sent up a prayer of thanks that Emily had a decent foster mom who looked out for her before grabbing her bag and headed out to get her shopping done.

* * *

By that afternoon, Annie felt a bit rushed changing and getting ready to go meet Auggie at his gym. She usually didn't go shopping midday on a Saturday, and now she knew why. It was apparently prime shopping time for everyone, and every store was packed, and every checkout line at least two deep.

But she got home on time, put her purchases away, and got ready to go meet Auggie. She had a few minutes of indecision wondering what to wear, but decided to go with her normal workout gear. Though his demeanor last night was rather flirty and closer than what they normally were when they went out for drinks or hung out at the gym, she didn't want to assume and set herself up for a disaster.

The gym itself wasn't one of those high-tech, cookie-cutter places that were all bright lights and shiny equipment. Though it was open to the public, Auggie's gym catered mostly to law enforcement, and its to-the-point ambience showed that.

The parking lot was empty, so she parked her red VW by the side door and went inside. He must've been expecting her, 'cause the door was unlocked. A loud ding from the bell that hung above the door heralded her entrance.

"Auggie?" Annie shouted out.

"Hey, you came!"

The office door off to the left hung open, and Auggie's frame soon filled the space. He wore workout gear, as well, which made Annie's choice to choose yoga pants and a tank top perfect.

"Of course I did. Did you think I'd let you down?"

He shrugged, then approached her with a smile, his arms outstretched. They usually greeted each other with a hug, and Annie's arms followed suit. But, she thought, that was usually when she came in for a workout and everyone was around them. Even last night, they were surrounded by people.

This afternoon, actually, counted as the very first time they were together alone. After the all-too-short hug was done, he took a step back and said with a smirk, "You'd didn't have to come dressed for a workout."

He strong, warm hands glided down her bare upper arms, and Annie suppressed a shiver at the touch. "Well, you weren't very specific about what we'd be doing, so –"

"Right, right. Well, come with me," he said, turning around and heading back into his office.

Annie did so, dropping her bag by the wall.

The office, which was normally neat and orderly – as per Auggie's wants and obvious needs – was full of boxes which Auggie slowly maneuvered around before getting behind his desk. "Can you hang on while I finish this e-mail?"

"Sure," Annie said, taking a seat in the chair beside the boxes. Her curiosity had her wondering what was in them, but none had any kind of tags or graphics on them.

"Okay, that's it. Ready to get to work?"

"Yes. I'm wondering what all this is," she said, giving one of the boxes an experimental tap.

"About half are replacement gear, just small stuff, but the others are what I needed a hand for – well, a second set of eyes, really," he quipped.

Annie smirked at his self-deprecating joke. "Not that I don't mind giving up my Saturday afternoon for this, but where's Stu?"

"Ha, my right-hand man asked for the weekend off," Annie said.

"Really? Did he say why?"

"Nope, but given how hesitant he was in asking, I'd place a bet that Stu met someone," Auggie said with a smile. He stood up from his desk with a box cutter in his hand, which he handed Annie.

"Oh, good for him. Any idea who it could be?"

"No clue. Maybe you could have a talk with him?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to interrogate our friend just to figure out who his new girlfriend is, Auggie."

"Hey, I'm just trying to look out for the guy," Auggie said, his hands held up in mock surrender.

Annie shook her head, then set to cutting the tape on the boxes. As she did so, Auggie began opening them and withdrawing the contents. Since he knew what he ordered, he could tell by their feel what they were, and set them aside to add to them gym.

They got to the last box, which was taller and skinnier than the last. "This is the one I needed help with most of all," he said.

"What is it?" Annie asked, walking up to his side.

"Something Stu thought up and insisted on," he said, obviously not completely happy with the contents.

"Which is?"

"Decoration," he explained. "Just posters, which I don't think we need, but Stu insisted that the gym could stand some upgrading. Since they were his idea, I assumed he'd be here to put them up."

"And you need me to make sure they're not upside down?" Annie teased.

"Yep. And to give a second opinion. Stu didn't tell me exactly what they were, and I trust your judgment."

Annie warmed to his appreciation and began pulling the tubes of heavy paper out of the box. She sat them to the side and together, they disassembled the boxes to get them in a corner and out of their way.

"Okay, let's see what Stu bought you," Annie said. She picked up one poster and unrolled it. "This one looked educational to me showing body forms in different levels of stretching. That's kind of cool."

Auggie nodded his agreement, and Annie set the poster to the side and picked up another one. "This one is just a picture, a fist punching a heavy bag." He nodded again, and Annie put that poster with the others.

They got through five more, each meeting with Auggie's approval. Annie had to admit, Stu's choices were good ones and fit in well with the gym's no-nonsense look.

"Okay, last one," Annie said. She held one end and let the weight of the paper roll it out. They were all large, about 3 feet by 4 feet, and this one was no different. The graphic, however, was vastly different than the other, more generic, gym-oriented posters.

When the full length of it came down, her breath came in and stayed there until Auggie said, "Annie? Something wrong?"

His voice startled her, and she nearly dropped the poster. "Oh, no. It's just, I was expecting – well, I wasn't expecting this."

He walked over to her. "He didn't sneak in something dirty, did he?" he joked.

"No," Annie breathed out as she stared at the poster in front of her.

"Annie, what is it? Talk to me."

She ripped her eyes from the poster and looked up to see him not a foot away from her. Then she looked back at the poster. "It's of you."

"A poster of me?" he asked.

"Yeah. You're working out, doing bench presses. It's in black and white, and it's –"

Annie couldn't really bring herself to give voice to her thoughts. She knew he was good-looking and had seem him work out multiple times, but the picture had captured the raw power and strength and sexuality of the man.

"Huh. I don't ever remember posing for something like that. He must've taken it without me realizing it. Is it too awful? We don't have to put it up. I don't know what Stu was thinking."

"No, it's not awful at all," Annie said honestly. "It's beautiful, really."

"Beautiful? Come on, Annie."

"It is, Auggie. You know what you look like, and I'm sure if you put this up on the wall, you'll have no trouble garnering new memberships," she said with a laugh.

"Really? So, you like it?"

"Any woman who comes in here will like it, and I'm sure a few of the men."

He took a step forward, his hand coming up to her shoulder. "But you like it?"

The look on his face was similar to what she'd witnessed the night before, right before he pulled away and kissed her on the forehead. Conrad's words came back to her, and she thought for a second about how she should just jump in and put Auggie out of his misery, and that he didn't really flirt with every girl hoping for an end game.

"Yeah," she said, a sudden nervousness apparent in her voice. She swallowed and continued, "Yeah, I do. Is that so hard to believe?"

His lips curled up into a small smile. "I don't know. Sometimes it is, but –"

"But sometimes you wonder, right?" Annie continued.

"Yeah. Sometimes I wonder. I figured we could hang out today, you know, see how it goes."

Annie smiled. "You know, for two hard-nosed crime fighters, we really suck at this."

He laughed and took a half a step closer, the hand on her shoulder turning into more of a caress. "You're right. I guess I should just get to the point, then. After we get all this cleared up and hung up, would you like to join me for dinner?"

"In our workout gear?" Annie joked, though her insides were melting at his closeness and the fact that her gamble to give Auggie a chance paid off.

"You're right," he said with a nod. "How about I order in some takeout, and have a picnic on the mats?"

"You're such a romantic, Auggie," she teased, "but I accept your invitation."

* * *

**A/N A bit longer than normal, but I wanted to get both scenes in on this chapter. So, we've got more Emily, an intro to her cool foster mom, and some A&A goodness. :) Wondered how far to stretch along their romance, but decided they really need to be together for the rest of the storylines - Emily and the homicide.**

**So, what'd you guys think? I'm blown away by the response so far.**

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Annie woke with a smile on her face the next morning, immediate thoughts of Auggie and their day together yesterday running through her mind. They'd spent the afternoon working around the gym and figuring out where to hang the posters. She had to talk him into putting up the poster of him. He was reluctant to show himself off, but Annie pointed out that by the angle of the photo, his face wasn't immediately clear.

He'd finally relented, and then they had their "picnic" on the mats. It wasn't the most romantic of dates, with both of them slightly dusty and tired, but Annie figured, that's where they met. It should be where they take the next step.

It was also where they had their first kiss and then the second. It was so easy with no awkwardness, Annie wondered why she'd kept pushing aside his come-ons over the past couple of years.

Then she remembered what else happened that day, and she sat up with a deep breath. Ever since Emily had told her that the purse was still where she'd found it, her instincts had been rankling. She could halfway understand why the "case" had been put on the back burner. The department was busy, she guessed.

But she wasn't, not as long as she was still waiting for evidence results. And there was nothing wrong with taking a Sunday walk, right? A plan set in her mind, she got up and headed to the bathroom.

* * *

The sun shone warm and the wind was light on the late Spring day as Annie walked from her apartment the half mile to the elementary school Emily attended. The large, brick building rose beyond a few yards of neatly cut grass. It was one of the oldest buildings in the city and probably was on the school board's list to be demolished and replaced, but Annie wished they wouldn't. The history and probably hundreds of thousands of students that passed through the large, double-glassed doorway lent character and essence.

A quick glance around showed that no one was around to harass her for stepping onto school grounds. Emily said the purse was in bushes alongside, so she headed that way. The only problem was, the entire yard was ringed by bushes and trees.

About 15 minutes later, a piece of brightly covered fabric caught her attention, the bright pink standing out from the fallen leaves that covered the ground. She squatted down to peer through the underbrush and smiled. An adult wouldn't even have noticed it, but someone a foot or two shorter – like Emily – would spy it right away.

The splash of pink was actually the end of a scarf that was around the handle of a hand bag. She looked quickly around the area for anything out of the ordinary, but other than a couple of items laying on the ground that obviously came out of the purse, there was nothing.

But, just in case, Annie decided to pull on a pair of rubber gloves before handling the purse. Several scenarios came to her mind as to how or why the purse got there, but most likely, it was stolen and then discarded. An alley ran behind the line of bushes she was crouched under. It wasn't a stretch of the imagination to think that a thief would take what he or she wanted, then dump the rest.

She gingerly picked up the purse and the rest of the items and crawled back out of the brush. As flexible and strong as she was, crouching down under pokey branches was not comfortable.

"Okay, let's see what we got here," Annie said.

The purse wasn't overly expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. Stylish, light pink, and about medium-sized. The scarf was silk and tied to one of the handles. Annie's summation about why the purse was discarded proved correct, as no wallet could be found. The loose items amounted to a powder compact – light ivory shade – a pack of Kleenexes, a comb and hair tie with a few dark long strands attached, plastic ID tag with a series of numbers on it, and a tube of chapstick.

Annie usually had experience with going through the personal effects of the recently deceased. Doing it while the person was more than likely still alive felt almost foreign.

But other than turning the items into a lost and found, there wasn't much more she could do. The city was full of light-skinned middle-income women with long dark hair. She opened the purse once more to see if any inner pockets could yield more clues.

Nothing. She sat back and took a look again at the ID tag. The back of it had a logo that she immediately recognized as belonging to the South Regional Hospital a few miles away.

* * *

A half-hour later, Annie was sitting in the hospital's break room, sipping coffee and waiting for Judith Riley to come meet her. When she'd flashed her badge at reception and asked if anyone there had lost an ID badge, the look on the woman's face behind the counter took on a gasp of surprise. She'd been told to go sit here, and Judith would come down as soon as she could.

Hesitant footsteps echoed through the hall, and a young woman appeared in the doorway. Annie would think that it was any one of the hospital's personnel, until she saw her face. Light skin and long, dark hair held back in a high ponytail.

But what stood out most of all was a fading bruise on the right side of her face.

"Hello? You wanted to see me?"

"Judith Riley?" Annie asked.

Judith nodded, "Yes, that's me. Heather, the receptionist, said you found my ID tag?"

Annie nodded, and motioned for Judith to sit. She did so slowly, not from physical pain, but hesitant and shy.

"I didn't just find your ID. And although it's obvious it's yours, can you describe to me your purse and what else you lost?"

"It's pink, with short handles, and a s-scarf tied around. My wallet was pink, too, matching, and I think I just had some Kleenex and chapstick in it. Did you find my wallet, too?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

Annie shook her head, "I'm sorry. I take it you had your purse stolen?"

"Yes. I – uhh –" Judith hesitated and looked down at the table, picking at the Formica with her fingertips.

"You were attacked, weren't you?" Annie asked. "That bruise looks painful."

Judith's hand automatically came up to the side of her face. "He said he'd kill me if I told or reported it. I said I'd give him my money and my car, even, but –"

"It's okay," Annie interrupted, reaching across to grasp the woman's hand. "We'll find him."

"But you said you didn't find my wallet, that means he still has all my information, where I live, and my keys. I – I've been staying here for days, and at a friend's house."

Annie took a deep breath. "We'll find him," Annie said, "and if you're willing to come to the department and make a report, maybe even give us details of what he looked like for a sketch artist, I can arrange for some police protection for you."

A glimmer of hope lit Judith's eyes, and she smiled. Annie returned it. "I'm sorry I can't get your items back to you right now. He wasn't wearing gloves, was he?"

Judith shook her head. "Then there's a chance his prints are still somewhere on the purse. It's a long shot, but we'll do it."

Judith took a deep breath and sat up a bit straighter. "Thank you –"

"Annie Walker," she supplied. "I'm in the Homicide department, but I'll get you in touch with someone from Robbery, okay?"

"Okay. You want me to come down to the department tomorrow?"

"That'd be ideal."

"Thank you, Annie," Judith said, squeezing Annie's hand with both of hers.

"Don't thank me yet. We haven't caught the guy."

From the hospital, Annie headed back to the police department to drop off the purse and contents to the evidence techs and maybe get some information on her own case. She'd hold off on informing Emily that her "hunch" was correct when the case was closer to being closed.

* * *

**Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

Though never truly shut down, the city's police department was quieter on the weekends. Annie planned on dropping off the purse and belongings to the evidence techs and putting together an initial report for the robbery department.

However, that idea became moot when, upon opening the door to the department, she found Vincent Rossabi sat at his desk, hunched over his keyboard. Though not her enemy by any means, the uptight veteran detective seemed to just not like her since the day she joined the Homicide Squad.

The squeak of the door heralded her arrival, and his head jerked up. "Walker? What are you doing here on a Sunday afternoon?"

Annie gritted her teeth at his condescending tone and put on a smile. "Just dropping some things off. Glad someone's here, actually. I came across a case for your department."

She passed the folder over to him. "The items are down in evidence to get prints off of them, and the victim will be here tomorrow for a more detailed statement and get together with our sketch artist."

He took the folder with a raised eyebrow and flipped it open. "A mugging with injuries? Interesting. We've had a spate of these, but most victims are refusing to talk."

"How many victims?" Annie asked.

"About a dozen," Rossabi answered with a grimace. "They report it so they can replace their cards and driver's licenses replaced, but claim they don't remember what the guy looked like or where it happened."

Annie nodded, "Judith there said he threatened her. Since he's got her address and keys, she's afraid to go home."

"But you say she's willing to talk?"

"Yeah."

"Great," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, good luck," Annie said. She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"One more thing, Walker," Rossabi said. "Exactly how does a newbie homicide detective 'come across' an assault and robbery?"

Her back tightened at his calling her a newbie, but she decided to ignore the jibe. "A few days ago, a girl came in reporting a found purse. She filled out the paperwork for Sergeant Carter, but said nobody had picked up the purse yet. I checked it out this morning, found the purse, found Judith, and came here."

Rossabi surprised her by laughing. "Carter told me about that girl. Said she was a Nancy Drew wannabe."

Annie inhaled sharply and said with clenched teeth, "Yeah, well, that girl's name is Emily Barnes. Sad to think that a sixth grader just broke your case for you. I'll tell her you said thank you."

With that, Annie stalked out of the room.

* * *

Any thoughts of going to her own office to work flew out of Annie's mind. She'd been busy all yesterday and half of today and deserved some rest before the workweek started up again, so she hopped in her car and headed home. Halfway there, though, she pulled off the side and picked up her cell phone.

Auggie answered on the third ring. "Annie, hey. I was just thinking about you."

And with that, all the anger Rossabi built up in her melted away. "Were you? Why? Got some more work you want to guilt me into doing at the gym?" she teased.

"No, more like an invitation to early dinner or late lunch, depending on what you've eaten so far today."

Annie rubbed her stomach which started softly grumbling at the mention of food. "Gosh, other than breakfast, I haven't eaten anything else."

"Why – Oh, no, don't tell me you went into work today."

"Okay, I won't tell you," she replied with a laugh.

"Annie –"

"It wasn't strictly work. Remember Emily called yesterday? That purse she found had been bugging me, so I went and found it."

"Great news. I'm sure that'll make her happy."

"More than. I found the woman it belonged to. She'd been assaulted and robbed, afraid to go home now. I turned everything over to Rossabi."

"Ah, your favorite detective. And I bet he thanked you profusely?" he asked with a laugh.

"Of course he didn't. I don't get it, Auggie. I've done absolutely nothing to incur that man's wrath, yet he never fails to get in a dig at me."

"Come over, Annie," he said. "I'll make you some food and make you forget about big, bad Robassi."

Annie's eyes closed at the smoothness promise in his voice. "You don't mind me taking up all your weekend time?"

"I never mind spending time with you, Annie. You know the address?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "Be there soon."

* * *

One U-turn – legal, of course – and 10 minutes later, Annie was pulling up outside of Auggie's apartment complex. She only knew of the place by name and had never actually been inside. The butterflies she'd experienced the past two days flared up again. Before she could psych herself out of turning the car back on and heading home with a lame excuse, she stuck her keys in her bag and got out.

His door, four floors up, was different than the others, kind of industrial in its feel. She knocked on it and almost jumped back when a few seconds later it slid open rather than swung.

"Oh!" she said.

"Did I startle you?" he asked with a smile.

"Most doors don't do that," she explained.

"Come in," he said, a hand raised out to her. Her fingers slid into his, and he tugged, pulling her through the doorway.

The movement threw her a bit off balance, but he apparently did it deliberately because, once she cleared the threshold, the door slid shut, and his other arm came to catch her and pull her towards him.

"If you wanted a hug, all you had to do was ask," Annie said.

"I find this way's much quicker," he said, dipping his head down to kiss her.

Annie's free hand, the one not still interlaced with his, slid up his muscled chest to his neck. Every fantasy and daydream she'd had since she'd met the man were coming true, and she couldn't help but just fall in feet first. Or lips first, as it were.

His hand spread along her spine and pulled her even closer, making her gasp. "Mm, Auggie," she whispered against his lips.

"Yes, Annie?"

"Are we going to stand here the entire day?" she whispered, pulling back slightly. The look on his face was pure desire, and his eyes squeezed shut as he took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I promised you food, didn't I?" he said.

"Some food, some talking, and I wouldn't mind a bit more of this," she said, stealing a quick kiss.

He took a step back and took both of her hands in his. "Sorry, guess I was a little overeager there."

"Please, don't apologize."

"I just can't believe you're here, with me, it seems surreal."

"What are you talking about, Auggie?"

He tugged on her hands and walked them through the open-plan apartment to a couch. They both sat down. He'd never let go of her hands.

"I'd been wanting this to happen for a while now, in case you hadn't noticed."

Annie's mouth dropped open with realization. "You'd wanted to date me?"

He nodded.

"So why did you never ask me out?" she asked.

"What if you'd said no?"

Annie shook her head. "I wouldn't have. I mean, I wasn't sure. Women throw themselves at you all the time. I just assumed –"

"They can throw themselves all they want. I've had my eyes on a certain homicide detective with a killer right cross for a while now. So to speak."

Annie felt her cheeks warm at the compliment while she laughed at his self-deprecation. "Okay. Well, I'm here. You're here. Why don't we get this thing going?"

"My thoughts exactly. Why don't I get some food going, and you choose the music?"

* * *

**A/N So, a bit of the case and a bit of Auggie. Think I've made everyone happy there. :) What do you think of Rossabi as a fellow detective? Always liked his and Annie's adversarial relationship and thought it'd fit in well here.**

**Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

The incessant buzzing of her cell phone woke Annie, and she blindly reached out to grab it. When all that met her hand was silky sheets, she opened her eyes. Though the room was cloaked in the shadows of early morning, she knew she wasn't in her own bedroom. A quick look around showed that she was in Auggie's apartment, lying naked between the sheets of his bed.

Memories of the previous day – and night – came rushing at her, and she felt her whole body blush and warm. The cell phone buzzed again, and she hurried to slide over the king-size bed and grab it off the night stand where she'd placed it the night before.

"Walker."

She tried to keep her voice low during the short conversation, but when she hung up after a few minutes, she turned to see Auggie lying on his back with his arms tucked behind his head. His eyes were open, and he was smiling. Her movement had caused the sheet to slide down his body, giving her a visual of what she'd enjoyed last night.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Not exactly how I wanted to wake up, but maybe you can make it up to me?" he said, raising up on his elbows towards her.

She groaned and placed a hand on his shoulder, staying his movement as well as the sheet that was dropping further along his bare, muscled abdomen. "Not so fast. That was work. I have to go."

"Too bad. I was going to wow you with my breakfast-making skills," he said, capturing her hand and bringing it to his lips for a kiss.

"Turn that into supper-making skills, and I may consider it," Annie replied. She leaned over and kissed him, hard and fast, and then jumped out of bed before her body talked her into staying there for a few more minutes.

She usually opted for a full shower and fresh clothes before heading into work, but a quick teeth brushing and throwing on the clothes she wore yesterday would have to suffice for now.

"New case?" Auggie asked, settling back onto the bed.

"Nope, caught a break in my homicide last week. They found the guy's car," she said, looking for and finally finding her shoes.

"Well, go get 'em, tiger."

* * *

Annie's adrenaline began to soar as she drove to Lowell's Used Cars. From Auggie's apartment, the place was on the other side of the city, and given the morning traffic, it was at least a half-hour drive. It allowed her to clear her mind of the weekend's awesome activities and go through the case again in her mind.

The phone call that pulled her away from Auggie was from headquarters. They'd received a 911 call from the owner of the car lot, Marty Lowell, who said someone was trying to sell her victim's car. There was no other information given, but Annie had an idea that the seller was, in fact, the perpetrator of Joseph Packett's murder. Several scenarios popped up in her mind, but she filed those away as possibles as she pulled into Lowell's Used Cars.

The stolen car was nowhere to be found in the lot, but Annie joined the two uniformed officers who stood in the dirty, rundown waiting room. Behind the counter stood a short, badly dressed man who looked so nervous, Annie wondered if they should call an ambulance in case he passed out on them.

"Mr. Lowell, this is Detective Walker. Could you tell her what you told us, please?" one of the officers, Henley, his badge read, said.

"Good morning, ma'am," Lowell sputtered out.

Annie nodded, and waved her hand for him to continue.

"Well, like I told these cops here, and the 911, one of my guys that works the weekend said this guy came in yesterday wanting to sell a car. He took all the information, but explained to the guy that he'd have to wait to get paid for it until today 'cause I'm the only one that can write out the checks."

He paused them and took a drink out of a chipped mug.

"You're doing fine, Mr. Lowell," Annie told him. "Please, continue."

"Well, the guy said he'd leave the car, and he'd come back in the morning – this morning – to get paid."

Annie took a step toward the counter, not believing her luck that her case was coming to a head so quickly. "What made you call 911, Mr. Lowell?"

"Well, I had the check all made out. Everything seemed fine with the transaction, so I told my guy to go ahead and start cleaning the car up, to get it ready for resale. He came running back into my office, and –"

At this time, his breath was coming quicker, and he sat down heavily in the plastic chair beside him. Annie looked to Henley, who continued the story.

"The mechanic began to clean it and found blood and a shell casing," he summed up. "He stopped what he was doing and came in and told Lowell here."

Annie gasped softly. "My crime scene," she breathed. A few more puzzle pieces clicked in her head of what she assumed happened. "Mr. Lowell, what's the name of the person who sold you the car?"

He picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to her, his hand still shaking.

She took it and turned it around. It was a bill of sale for the vehicle, and she looked at the bottom to see the printed and signed name of "Joseph Packett."

"Got him," she whispered. "Mr. Lowell, what time did this man say he'd be back for the check?"

"9:00."

They all glanced up at the clock that hung on the wall. It read 8:30 a.m.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. Henley, can you or your partner move your cruiser around to the back? No need to spook this guy."

Henley nodded and headed outside.

Annie then turned to the garage owner. "Mr. Lowell – Marty? We're going to need your help with this."

The man's hands were still slightly shaky, their grip around his mug as he drank it evident. It made the sunlight glint off the gold ring on his left hand. Looking down at the desk, Annie saw a framed picture of an older woman and a couple more of small children, ostensibly his grandchildren.

"Marty, I know you're shaken up, but this man who's coming back for the check, he's a bad guy, and we need to arrest him."

"His name's not Packett, is it?" he asked, his blue eyes meeting hers.

She shook her head. "No. And we have reason to believe he killed the real Joseph Packett. He was a newlywed, left behind a young, pretty wife."

Marty's eyes flicked down to the pictures on his desk. Annie let him think it through, and soon, he took a deep breath and set the coffee mug down. "What do you want me to do?"

* * *

15 minutes later, Annie was happy that she hadn't changed her clothes into the normal dress skirt and button down that she wore to work. The t-shirt and jeans that she'd worn yesterday to Auggie's now fit in perfectly to the rundown car lot's décor. She also pulled her hair back severely and took off her jewelry.

She talked Marty into letting her play his assistant, one of whom wouldn't be wearing real gold jewelry. Given Marty's obvious inability to keep a straight face, Annie said she'd handle the fake Joseph Packett and only needed him there for a few minutes.

The two uniformed officers hid in the bathroom, which they grumbled about given its tight confines and less-than-hygienic floors, toilet, and sink. Annie reminded them they'd only be there a few minutes. Besides, it was the only place they could remain hidden, but still be able to hear what was going on in the lobby.

5 minutes after 9:00 a.m., the bell rang above the door, and Annie looked up from her perch behind the counter to see a man that she placed around 40 years old walk in. He certainly didn't look like a cold-blooded killer, but from her years on the force, Annie knew they came in all shapes and sizes.

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah. I sold a car here yesterday. Guy told me to pick up the check this morning."

Annie nodded. "Name?"

"Joseph Packett."

"Oh, right. Marty said you'd be stopping by. Let me just get that."

She made a show of opening up a folder and producing the paperwork her perpetrator signed the previous day. "Okay, now, if you'd just let me see your ID, we'll get this bill of sale all worked out."

"ID? What you need that for? I already signed all the information."

"Yes, I've got it here, but the check is quite large, over $10,000, and you know how the government is. They need to track all large transactions," she said breezily.

Her perpetrator then frowned and dug his hand into his pocket, muttering under his breath. So far, he was playing right into Annie's hands. Packett was found without a wallet on him, and she assumed the guy who killed him stole that, as well.

A handful of folded papers and items came out in his hand, and he flipped through it before handing her a driver's license. "I hate that picture. They never really look right, you know?"

Annie smiled and took it from him. The name and address of Joseph Packett was correct, and she saw the smiling face of a man that she last saw cold and lifeless. The only thing that matched the man standing in front of her was the fact that both of them were Caucasian and had brown hair.

"I know what you mean," she said. "And they never let you take another one."

The guy laughed.

"Well, let me take a copy of this, and then get your check for you," she said. It was the cue that she and the cops had worked out prior. She turned to the copier that stood on a table behind her while the bathroom door opened.

The distraction was all it took for the killer to turn away from Annie to the sound. She pulled her gun from its hiding place under a stack of papers while the officers stepped out from the bathroom – all three aiming their weapons at the man.

"Put your hands were we can see 'em!"

There was a brief struggle, but before the guy could make it to the door, Henley had full-body tackled him onto the floor. "Stop fighting!"

He soon had the man handcuffed, and Annie went to searching his pockets for other evidence. She shuddered slightly when she found a gun tucked in the back of his jeans, but kept looking.

Soon she had the stack of papers that he'd pulled out earlier, and in looking through them, found the rest of Joseph Packett's paperwork – insurance card, registration, business card. But what annoyed her most was the picture of Janice Packett – Joseph's wife.

She grimaced at why the man might've kept it while looking through the rest. Finally she came across another license, this picture more fitting into the angry face of the man lying facedown on the floor.

"Harvey Davenport," she read out loud. "Tell me, Harvey, what were you doing early Thursday morning?"

"It's all a mistake," he sputtered out.

"We'll see. Right now, you're gonna come with us."

"For what?!" he cried out.

"We'll start with trying to sell a dead man's car and go from there," Annie said, standing up. Henley followed with Davenport, who kept sputtering out that it was a mistake.

Henley began reading him his Miranda rights as he shuttled him out the door to the police cruiser they'd stashed behind the building.

"Is it all over?"

Annie turned to see Marty Lowell ducking his head in from the mechanic's bay.

"Yeah, Marty, it's all over. I have to thank you, really, for helping us with this, and for calling in the first place."

"Well, it was the right thing to do. My Louisa would have done the same thing."

"Louisa? That's your wife?"

Marty sat down in the chair and picked up the framed picture Annie saw before. "She was. Passed away last year." He sighed and ran his chubby finger along the image. "All's I got left now is my son and two grandbabies."

Annie's felt a surge of sympathy for the man and leaned over the counter to place her hand on his. "She would have been proud of you today."

"Thanks, detective." He replaced the picture then cleared his throat. "Guess you're gonna be taking that car with you, huh?"

"Yes, and all the paperwork, as well."

He nodded and began to gather everything while Annie pulled out her cell phone to call the crime scene techs. Her day had just gotten busier, but nothing felt as good as catching the bad guy.

* * *

**A/N Woo! Go, Annie! My description of the car lot pretty much came from way too many hours of my life waiting at the mechanics. Ugh, their bathrooms. Shudder.**

**The inspiration for this chapter came to me Saturday when I was trying to configure a cool scenario as to why my bad guy killed Joseph. I already know the how and why Davenport did what he did, so be on the lookout for an in-depth interrogation later.**

**Hope everyone liked it. And yeah, the beginning scene was a bit gratuitous, but can't pass up a good half-naked Auggie scene.**

**Please review! Make my work week nice and happy.**


	8. Chapter 8

The audible grumble from Annie's stomach reminded her that the drive-thru coffee she'd picked up on the way back from the used car lot was her only breakfast, but she couldn't stop now. Tearing her eyes away from her computer, she quickly pulled open her bottom drawer. Grabbing a honey nut meal bar, she broke off a large chunk and began chewing it.

Harvey Davenport was busy getting processed, which gave her more time to sift through all the evidence reports. The crime scene tech crew had been busy over the weekend, and her desk was full of their findings.

Yes, they had him on having Packett's identity and car, hands down, but she had a gut feeling that he was the perpetrator of Packett's murder, as well. Now all she had to do was tie the two together. The gun she'd gotten off of Davenport was being test fired to see if it matched the bullet lodged in Packett's skull. That'd be a slam-dunk, but as for motive, she had no idea.

"Walker."

Annie's head jerked up at the sound of her name. "Chief."

Joan Campbell – tall, blonde, and well-dressed - strode through the maze of desks that made up the Homicide Department before she came to a halt in front of Annie's. "Rumor has it that you've made an arrest in the alley dump case?"

Annie nodded. "Yep. Harvey Davenport. Attempted to sell Packett's car at some seedy used car lot. Guess he needed the money quick, 'cause he did a half-ass job at cleaning the vehicle before trying to get rid of it."

"I put in a word with the evidence guys to make this case their priority," Joan said.

Annie blinked in surprise. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, but I didn't do it for you. I've been getting a few calls from the press, and I'd like to have an answer for them sooner than later."

Though harsh in its delivery, Annie nodded at her boss's comments. Though their job was a public one, the media sometimes served as a hindrance rather than a help. "We've got him on having Packett's car and effects, of course. That's enough to keep him here. And I'm sure his gun'll match the bullet we got out of Packet, but what I want to know is why."

"You don't think it was a carjacking gone wrong?"

Annie leaned back in her chair. "It could, but I don't know. I just got a feeling –" she shrugged.

Joan grinned at her most junior detective on the squad. "You know, if anyone else responded to me with a shrug and a feeling, I'd tell them to close the case and move on. But you and your feelings have proven themselves over the handful of years you've been here."

"Thanks, chief."

"Don't mention it. Sheehan should be back in soon. Feel free to take him in when you sit down with Davenport."

Annie nodded her thanks and returned to the reports in front of her. Joan's words of praise gave her a rush of adrenaline, and she settled in for some down and dirty investigation. It'd be just as easy to pull Davenport in an interrogation room and attempt to talk it out of him, but Annie preferred to walk into that little room with all the answers. Davenport could just as easily refuse to answer questions, and boom, her investigation would be stalled in its tracks.

Her initial cross-checking searches found nothing that correlated Harvey Davenport with Joseph Packett. Davenport's last place of employment, a fast food joint, was over a year ago, so she cross-checked Davenport with Packett's insurance company. Hey, she thought to herself, you never know. She'd come across slimmer connections between victim and assailant.

It took a few minutes for the computerized technology to work through gigabytes of public records. Annie scarfed down the rest of her meal bar as the hourglass swirled before her on the screen. She'd also gone through a bottle of Powerade and was contemplating a trip to the bathroom when a telltale ding sounded from her CPU's speakers.

A window popped up that stated one match found. With a slightly shaky hand, she clicked on it, breath barely held while the pages loaded. Her eyes skimmed the text, reading as fast as her mind could compile and comprehend the information.

When she'd finished, her mouth had shifted into a full-blown smile, which apparently startled the fellow detective who had walked up to her desk while she was engrossed.

"So, either you've received good news about your case, or you and Auggie have discovered the world of sexting."

Annie simultaneously smiled, choked, and hyperventilated as she met the eyes of Conrad, her so-called friend (at the moment), and fellow detective who stood in front of her desk with a smirk on his face. When she'd recovered and taken a breath, she said, "The case, of course. Got something to hit Davenport with. Joan gave me the go-ahead to procure your services. You up for some interrogation, Detective Sheehan?"

"It's always a pleasure watching you work, Detective Walker," he returned. "But given the look on your face a few seconds ago, I also expect a full rundown of your activities of the past 48 hours."

Annie scoffed as she reassembled the case file laid out before her. "Unlike you, I don't kiss and tell, detective."

"And unlike you, my dear, I can read guilt from a mile away. Any time you and Auggie want to treat me to dinner, just give me a heads up."

Annie huffed as she brushed past him on her way out of the office. "In your dreams, Conrad."

Despite her feelings, Annie took a few seconds before walking into the room that Davenport had been sitting in since booked to take a deep breath and set her game face.

With a nod to Sheehan, she opened the door and walked in. Davenport's head jerked up from where he was resting it on the table, causing the chain and handcuffs to jangle with his actions.

"Harvey, good to see you again," Annie said. "This is Conrad Sheehan. He's gonna sit in on this interview."

Annie took the seat opposite him while Conrad sat down, as well. She placed the case file on the table and opened it. Before she could begin with her line of questioning, though, Davenport leaned across the table at her, his hands clasped on top of it.

"Look, this is all a big mistake. I told that cop that put me here the same thing, but he wouldn't listen."

Well, Annie thought, so much for Davenport clamming up or screaming for a lawyer. "Well, that's what we're here to do, talk and listen. Go ahead." She sat back in her chair.

"I didn't steal that car, okay? This guy, he asked me to sell it for him, and he'd give me 500 bucks."

Annie's eyes went wide at that, but she decided to play along and let Davenport sink himself. "Really? Why couldn't he sell it himself?"

He shrugged. "Never said. He gave me his license and said to pose as him. So I did. I know it's wrong to pretend you're someone else, but it's not a crime, right? When the guy asked you to do it in the first place?"

Annie blinked and sat forward in her chair again. So much for letting this guy incriminate himself, she thought. It was time to just hit him with the facts and see what he had to say for himself.

"Well, you see, Harvey, I know that's a bunch of bull. You know that's a bunch of bull, and even though Conrad here wasn't there this morning, he knows it's a bunch of bull. Want to know why?"

She didn't bother to let him answer. The rush she felt no more than 10 minutes ago when she found what she was about to tell him still ran through her. "Joseph Packett worked for 21st Century Insurance Company. Have you ever heard of them?"

Davenport tried to keep the same look of innocence, but a twitch in his eye had Annie keep talking. "That's okay. There's no need to answer. I know you already do. About six months, you filed for insurance coverage for a boat for $15,000. Wow, that must've been a big boat. Anyhow, about two weeks ago, you reported to them that the boat had caught fire and sunk in the water. Any of this making sense?"

"Yes, but –" Davenport waved his hands around, and Annie waited a few seconds while he tried to formulate a response.

She glanced over at Conrad, who quirked an eyebrow at her. "As I was saying, you asked for the 15,000 bucks, but they weren't very forthcoming with the money, were they? No, and according to the final declaration I found here, they explain why."

Harvey's face shifted from cordial to slightly angry, and Annie knew she had him. "It seems whenever an insured item comes up destroyed less than a year after its insured, an automatic investigation is conducted. They were wondering how a man who was currently unemployed and whose last job was slinging burgers could own a pretty nice boat."

"Hey, I did more than sling burgers!"

Annie ignored the interruption. "So they looked into the fire and sinking, only to find out that no such boat ever existed. So they canceled the policy and refused the payout and sent you a letter saying so. A letter signed by Mr. Joseph Packett. Any of this sound familiar, Harvey? It's quite a coincidence, don't you think?"

"So – so what? Plenty of guys have the same name," Davenport sputtered out. "What are you trying to pin on me?"

Annie was about to answer exactly what she was trying to pin on him when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced down at it to read the message and smiled. She's going to owe the evidence technicians big time.

"I'm not 'trying' anything, Harvey. I'm simply telling you what we know and giving you an opportunity to give your side of things. Let me make it simple. You tried to defraud an insurance company for a payout on a boat you didn't own and probably didn't even exist. When they didn't pay out, you tracked down the one person whose name you had from the paperwork, Joseph Packett. No, I'm not sure what happened last week, what was said between the two of you, but what I do know is that you shot Joseph Packett in the head with the gun that we found on you this morning. You then dumped his body in an alley, stole his car and wallet, then tried to sell the car this weekend."

Her case set out, she took a breath and placed her arms on the table. Looking directly into Harvey's eyes, she said, "We have more than enough evidence to convict you of all of this, you know. I was hoping when we sat down here to talk that you'd go ahead and tell me the truth. One more chance, Mr. Davenport. One chance to tell me why. What happened when you found Joseph?"

The minutes ticked by as Harvey sat, looking at his shackled hands in his lap. Annie let him sit and think.

"I didn't mean to."

"Sorry?"

Harvey's head came up fractionally. "I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to scare him. I needed the money. But he wouldn't listen to me and threatened to call the cops. Yeah, it was a dumb thing to do, but nobody was supposed to get hurt, and –"

His head dropped back down again, and Annie set about packing up her case file. "Somebody did get hurt, Harvey, and not only Joseph Packett. Right now his widow is sitting in their house, wondering why her young life has been altered so drastically over something so insignificant as a little bit of money."

With that, she nodded to Conrad, who stood and pushed in his chair. Together, they left the interview room and headed back to their office.

* * *

**A/N Phew. Hope ya'll liked it. Was hoping to make this more dramatic, but decided to just go with pathetic bad guy instead of crazy-ass bad guy. :) **

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

When Annie and Conrad walked back into the homicide department, they were met with smiles and a haphazard round of applause from the rest of the detectives, led by Chief of Police Joan Campbell.

"Great work, detective," Joan said, coming forward to shake Annie's hand.

"Thanks, chief. I guess you all were listening in?"

"Of course. I have to get back to the office and inform the press we've got a confession. I'm sure Packett's wife will be glad."

Annie nodded, her elation dimming a bit at the thought of the distraught woman she'd met a few days ago. She worked her way back to her desk amid pats on the back and handshakes and sat in her chair with a long sigh. The usual downfall from the adrenaline rush had hit her, and she needed a minute or two to recharge her energy.

The hum of the department slowly returned to normal. Annie started to gather all of her documents to close out the case. Paperwork was never her favorite part of the job. Halfway through, she was interrupted by Rossabi, who came up to her desk and dropped a file on it.

"Guess I have you to thank for this, huh?"

His tone was at once accusatory and teasing, and Annie rolled her eyes at him. "What do you think I'm guilty of now, Rossabi?" she teased back.

"That case you dropped in my lap yesterday, remember?" he asked. "The victim came in this morning while you were out and gave a description. That plus the fingerprints made a hit in AFIS."

Annie quickly opened the file he'd tossed on her desk to come face-to-face with a scowling mugshot. "Oh, he looks pleasant."

"Yeah, that's an adjective I wouldn't apply to him. His name is Abe Braun, lifelong criminal who've we wanted for a while. That mugshot is from a DUI a few years back."

"You've picked him up?" Annie asked.

"He's on his way to HQ, yes. We've got him on your assault and robbery, and I plan to contact all the other victims, as well, put him away for a while."

Annie smiled. "That is wonderful. I guess Judith will be able to go home now, huh?"

"Yeah, I've already contacted her. She said to thank you, which I guess I'm doing now."

"Oh, you're welcome, Rossabi. You know, I think this is cause for a commendation," she said, leaning back in her chair.

"For you? What, catching a murderer isn't good enough for you? Got to get a pat on the back for my cases, as well?"

"Not for me, smart ass. For Emily Barnes. You know, the girl who found the purse in the first place? Who found the only piece of evidence that led to your catching this guy?" Annie said.

Rossabi shook his head. "I don't know, Annie."

"She made a statement, Rossabi. It's on record," she reminded him. He still looked hesitant and unbelieving, so she decided to appeal to the softer side she knew he had hidden somewhere deep inside. "Come on. She's a foster kid, you know. Sixth grade, been around to three families already. Despite all that, she's smart as hell, industrious, and a go-getter. She deserves this."

"Fine, fine," Rossabi said, throwing up his hands in mock defense. "You got her contact information?"

"Yeah. I was gonna call her tonight."

"It'll have to be informal, you know that? I'm not sure how the public will take it knowing we depend on grade school kids for our leads."

With that, Rossabi grabbed up the file and walked out of the department. Annie laughed softly to herself. If he only knew how much a "grade school student" Emily Barnes wasn't, he'd be surprised.

* * *

Even though she had a successful day at work, Annie wouldn't allow herself to neglect her regular workout she put in a few times a week after her shift. She'd had to hold herself back from calling him with the good news about the arrest while at work, but figured it'd be better served in person.

She'd changed into her workout gear and was warming up on the treadmill when she heard him behind her. "What, no hello for your personal trainer?"

The deep timbre of his voice coupled with the emphasis he put on the word "personal" had Annie nearly tripping over herself. She slowed down the speed to a stop and stepped off.

"Hello, personal trainer," she returned. He stood there in his usual workout attire of loose shorts that went to his knees and a fitted tank top, but she had the advantage of knowing about the well-toned physique and prowess that lay beneath all that.

Only a handful of others were in the gym, but she looked around to make sure no one was looking their way before sliding her arms around him. "I had a good day today," she whispered.

"Did you? Tell me about it?"

For the next hour, Annie told him what'd happened over the past few days while she ran on the treadmill, lifted weights, and finished off with their normal sparring session.

Now they were sat by the mats, Annie sipping from a bottle of water, while she told him about Emily's role in catching a serial criminal.

"Wow," Auggie exclaimed. "A regular mini-Annie in the making."

She pushed against his shoulder at the teasing. "You tease, but I kind of promised her foster mother that I'd serve as a mentor to her."

Auggie wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "And you'll be great at it."

"Thanks, Auggie."

"What do you say we get out of here and celebrate your good news properly?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

**THE END**

**A/N All done!**

**Hope you liked it. Don't know what I'm going to work on next. May move on to another genre until the new Covert Affairs season starts.**

**Please review.**


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